Columnist battles deadly writer’s block


By:
Kathryn BurschNokomis, Florida –

At a local diner the breakfast rush is in full swing. The coffee’s hot, the paper’s hot off the presses and no doubt there’s something it that gets the guys at the counter hot under the collar.

The newspaper is part of this group’s morning routine; along with toast and eggs the words go down easy. But just how the paragraphs of Rich Brooks’ column make their way to print is always a struggle.

Brooks is a columnist for the Sarasota Herald Tribune. He also has ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. His mind is trapped inside a body that no longer works; he can’t even breathe on his own.

However, a twitch of his cheek and a computer system allows him to communicate. The setup is amazing and at the very same time so inadequate. There’s no way a computer robot can voice emotions so human. “I’d love to be able to hold my wife, take my sons to the beach or be bored by ballet,” Brooks says by computer.

Brooks’ life as a journalist started out normal enough: get the photo, get the story, get it right. But now, so much of his life is filled with people getting for him. A caretaker and Kathy his wife must frequently adjust his position or computer.

But ALS has also transformed this former editor into a disciplined writer. Dressed up in shoes that have never touched the ground, Brooks tackles his weekly column beep by beep and letter by letter. Through his computer Brooks says, “I live to write and I write to live.”

Brooks’ columns deal with politics, life around Venice and sometimes his disease. And almost always there’s something that will crack you up. “Rich has always had a quick...a kind of wry wit,” says Kathy.

The lines may not come so quickly anymore, but the funny remains. When asked about his passion for writing Rich responds, “I want to be judged on the merits of what I’ve written, not because I’m devilishly handsome.”

But Brooks’ situation is no laughing matter. There is no cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease. “I’m not too fond of looking too far ahead, because my future, is well, kind of bleak,” writes Brooks.

Yet despair does not fill this home. More likely, it’s the sound of college football. “Life is there. There’s still funny things that happen. There’s still a lot to be lived,” says Kathy.

And besides family, Brooks lives for the next deadline. And for someone who can not speak, his weekly words sound of strength. And that’s something the guys at the counter hear loud and clear.

For more information about ALS, click on the following link: www.alsa.org

Kathryn Bursch, Tampa Bay's 10 News

http://www.tampabays10.com:80/news/l...?storyid=66162